Interim DMR director: $4M overspent on projects

BILOXI, Miss. (AP) — The interim director of the state Department of Marine Resources says he cannot account for about $4 million in state Tidelands money spent over the past decade. Danny Guice said that some projects got five or six times the money budgeted for them.

Tidelands money is supposed to go toward “conservation, reclamation, preservation, acquisition, education” and better access to the water. Most of the money comes is from casino leases.

A department committee sends a list of projects to the Legislature for final approval. Guice says some projects overspent, and in some cases leftover money went for projects that were not listed.

Guice took over in January, after Bill Walker was fired. The State Auditor’s Office and the FBI are investigating the agency.